Green Papaya, London
For many east Londoners, Vietnamese food has become a social staple, facilitating a cheap night out of BYOB and nu-rave fluoro-coloured beef. But at some spots in Hackney the food transcends this formula. Green Papaya is one such gem. This family-run joint bustles every night of the week with local regulars and off-duty chefs who come for affordable and authentic cooking in a simple setting. Crispy squid comes with an inspired purple basil dip that’s like an Asian take on the mint sauce from your classic Sunday roast; crusted strips of barbecued pork belly yield generous globs of silky fat; and spicy beef salad offers a punch of flavour, the fish sauce brawling with a garden patch of fresh herbs. Its ever-increasing fanbase has seen a second branch open in the thick of the action on Kingsland Road, AKA the “Pho Mile”. Whether you opt for the old or the new, you can come with a crisp twenty, but leave your bottle of wine in the fridge.
191 Mare Street, E8, green-papaya.com
CC
My food vice… Ritter Sport
Long before austerity drove us into the random-brand embrace of Aldi and Lidl, one German marque had already infiltrated newsagents across the UK. No one shouts about the sweetie-aisle success of Ritter Sport, but these distinctive square choc blocks have been my continental treat in all sorts of postcodes. With a product range in quantum flux – there are nominally 24 varieties, but it seems more like 244 – it’s unusual to get the same Ritter twice in a row. Perhaps that’s part of the full spectrum’s appeal: for hipsters, it stirs memories of collecting Pokémon; for proper adults, the stark, colour-coded range echoes a Farrow & Ball catalogue. Judging by the discarded debris I’ve discovered by my bedside over the years, the marzipan bar exerts a particular post-pub pull. But there’s also my Moby-Dick: the seemingly legendary Ritter Sport Cornflakes, encased in a vivid orange wrapper. Call me kitsch male.
£1.69 for 100g from most newsagents
GV
Joanna Fuertes-Knight on food… Good eggs
I classify thinking about eggs in the same league as wondering about the enormity of the universe. Like, just how many ways are there to eat them? What do they even do in cake? Will Edwina Currie ever escape them? As well as being the Most Versatile Grub EVER, eggs are also science’s fave food. Recently, Dutch scientists found that a helping of eggs made people significantly more inclined to give to charity. Something to do with serotonin levels and, I reckon, starting your day with a breakfast burrito. Prior to this, scientists in California finally cracked the secret to un-boiling an egg. Which might sound like the most unwarranted research of all time, but could apparently revolutionise everything from food manufacturing to cancer research. Who knew? Now go forth and make yourself an omelette.
